Players Championship delays opening gates after fatal shooting nearby

Field Level Media|published: Sat 14th March, 12:22 2026

Tommy Fleetwood tees off on the 12th hole during the second round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Fans were kept from entering The Players Championship early Saturday morning after a shooting at a local drug store left two people dead.

The gates were originally scheduled to open at 7:30 a.m. but as a precautionary measure instead opened at 9 a.m., with the opening of hospitality areas delayed until 11 a.m. Third-round play at TPC Sawgrass went on as scheduled.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Walgreens on Friday at about 10:30 p.m. The store is just across the street from the PGA Tour Global Home office, which abuts the course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

According to media reports, the suspect ran onto the TPC Sawgrass course and encountered employees there before he fled the area. He allegedly later stole a BMW and headed north before being captured around 8 a.m. near the Florida-Georgia border in Nassau County, about an hour north of TPC Sawgrass.

The suspect was identified by St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick as Christian Joseph Barrios, 32. The victims, who authorities said were shot multiple times, were pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The shooting was described by law enforcement as domestic, with the suspect and the victims known to each other.

--Field Level Media

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